Deuteronomy 7 -- Wow, Such Perfect Timing Today, God, As Always!

Father, this is absolutely in Your timing.  Incredible how You arranged my readings over all these years to land on this chapter right when I needed it to help someone!

I remember almost recoiling when I read the commands to completely destroy whole people groups and their belongings when I first started reading the Bible, but I eventually came to understand over the years that there are times when we must completely rid ourselves of whatever stands between us and God, and that really popped out today.  If you substitute any particular besetting sin for “the people of Canaan” here, and read back through the story, what a battle plan from God we receive to help conquer that sin!  Then once we’ve experienced such a victory and know how important it is to give no quarter and absolutely eliminate anything to do with that sin from our lives, it certainly puts us in a better frame of mind to understand God’s directions here to His people.

Father, please guide me to use this wonderful example to help the one You’ve placed before me.  Open their heart and mind to see this truth as clearly as You’ve shown me.  Remove Satan’s blinders to allow them to understand what has occurred in their life and what You want to do about it!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 6 -- A Wealth Of Stuff!

A short chapter, but an incredible wealth of information!  What jumped out first was something God had brought up in Sunday School yesterday and something I’d said to my younger son during a trying time yesterday – love and respect.  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart … Respect the Lord your God.”  My commentary was rich in explanations, and said the key theme of this chapter and the next is motivation for obedience.

The first, Love For The Lord, was a given based upon God’s covenant with their fathers which gave them “ownership of the Promised Land, but it was their own obedience to the Lord that guaranteed their possession and enjoyment of the land …  Believers today need to be reminded that all our blessings come to us because of God’s eternal covenant with His Son and the new covenant which Jesus made through His sacrificial death on the cross.  We aren’t blessed because of what we are in ourselves, but because of what we are in Christ.”

The commandment to love God was also discussed:  “Is it possible to command somebody to love? … In the life of the believer, love is an act of the will; we choose to relate to God and to other persons in a loving way no matter how we feel … love leads to ACTION … To love God and worship and serve Him is the highest PRIVILEGE we can have, so when the Lord commands us to love, He is inviting us to that which is the best.  But our love for God must involve the totality of the inner person … If the inner person is completely yielded to the Lord and open to His Word as ministered by His Spirit, then the feelings will follow.”

Communication with the Lord:  “When we hear the Word of God and receive it into our hearts, then the Holy Spirit can use the truth to transform us from within … God writes the Word upon our hearts … to allow the Word to guide our minds and hands as we work throughout the day … The emphasis of this command was obedience to God’s Word in all that we think or do.”

Besides love for the Lord, gratitude to the Lord was a second motivation for obedience mentioned here.  Ingratitude showed up when the older generation tested God at Massah.  “We tempt the Lord when we openly and unbelievingly question His ability or defy His authority by what we say or do … The Lord deliberately led them through difficulties so He could teach them to trust Him… The Lord tests our faith, not just in the great crises of life, but even more in the small unexpected events, such as a travel delay, an irritating interruption, a sudden sickness, or a lost wallet.  The way we respond in these situations will indicate what’s in our hearts, because what life does to us depends on what life finds in us.  If we love and trust the Lord, we’ll leave the matter with him and do what He tells us, but if we question the Lord and rebel because we’re not getting our own way, then we’re in danger of tempting Him.  One of the best protections against tempting the Lord is a grateful heart.  If we’re in the habit of thanking the Lord in everything, including the painful experiences of life, then the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with love and praise instead of Satan filling us with bitter venom.”

It concluded:  “When our children are ignorant of the past, they will have no hope for the future.  An attitude of gratitude is a wonderful weapon against unbelief, disobedience, a hard heart, and a bitter spirit.”

Father, thanks for Your incredible timing on this today.  Sink it deep into my heart and transform me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 5 -- More Than Just The Ten Commandments Repeated

This chapter is more than just Moses repeating the Ten Commandments for the people.  God pointed out some important stuff in our relationships with Him as I read this morning:

Moses reminded them, “I stood between you and the Lord in order to tell you what the Lord said; you were afraid of the fire (that surrounded the top of the mountain in God’s presence) so you would not go up on the mountain.”  God had been speaking out loud to them.  They were hearing his audible voice.  Yet they were so overcome by the physical manifestations of His presence that they were afraid to draw near to Him!

God revealed how sin didn’t just affect the one sinning and any victim.  It produces generational effects in families!  But He also revealed that obedience to Him and love for Him produces blessings for a thousand generations!  It’s not just about us!

God wants us to be satisfied with Him and not let our desires mature and control us.  “Covetousness is the sinful desire in the heart for anything that rightfully we shouldn’t have,” by commentary said.

My sidebar also described how sin is our worst nightmare:  “Satan numbs our awareness and short-circuits our self-control.  We know what we are doing and yet can’t believe that we are doing it.  In the fog of weakness we want to stop but haven’t the will to do so.  We want to turn around, but our feet won’t move.  We want to run and, pitifully, we want to stay.”

That’s all the law can do for us – make us feel miserable when we fail.  But this is where Romans 8 steps in:  “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Father, this was a good morning!  I felt more connected to You than I have in awhile.  Please continue to guide my thoughts and my studies.  I want those thousand generations of blessings for my descendants.  But more than anything, I want You ruling my heart.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 4 -- God Reveals So Much About Himself Here

I don’t remember exactly where the notes came from in my Bible in this chapter, but I loved seeing them again:

“The Lord our God comes near when we pray to Him (an approaching God)…

He made you His very own people, as you are now (an adopting God) …

The Lord your God is a jealous God …

Don’t do what the Lord your God says is evil, because that will make Him angry (a just God)…

You can look for the Lord your God and you will find Him if you look for Him with your whole being (a discoverable God) …

The Lord your God is a merciful God.  He will not leave you or destroy you …

He spoke to you from heaven to teach you (a teaching God) …

Because the Lord loved your ancestors, He chose you, their descendants, and He brought you out of Egypt (a loving God)…

The Lord did this so He could bring You into the land and give it to you as your own (a rewarding God).”

What should our response be?  “Obey His laws and commands … so that things will go well with you and your children.”

Father God, thank You for continuing to reveal Yourself to me.  There is nothing special about me that You even should, but You choose to do so, and it’s hard to imagine why You’d love me enough to do so!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 3 -- The Transition Begins

The Israelites had not been a warring people.  Jacob and his small family had travelled to Egypt almost 500 years earlier, and the nation had grown, been enslaved, and then rescued by God.  For the previous 38 years, they’d been nomads in the desert.  Now God had to get them into battle mode to remove the prior inhabitants of the land who’d greatly displeased God with their indescribably wicked lifestyles.  The first to go were the Amorites, who lived just outside the Promised Land on its eastern border.  “All that the army had to do was obey God’s orders, trust His promises, and courageously confront the enemy,” my commentary said.

Two and a half tribes desired this land, and God told Moses they could have it, but their men had to agree to lead the rest of the Israelites into Canaan until the whole land was taken.

Moses so wanted to see the Promised Land, but God wasn’t going to permit him to enter because of his impetuous sin.  He still encouraged the nation by saying, “O Sovereign Lord, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand.”  He didn’t want to miss what God was about to do!  My commentary did say that centuries later Moses stood in the Holy Land in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and Elijah!

Moses kept reminding the Israelites that they were privileged and God’s people, out of all the nations on earth.  My commentary added, “It’s when we forget our high calling that we descend into low living.” 

Help me to constantly keep in mind that You have bought me with a price, Father, and that I am Yours.  Keep me away from low living and lead me to Your high calling.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 2 -- Who We Avoid

Moses skipped over all of the details of the 38 years the Israelites wandered through the desert.  “During those years, Israel was out of God’s covenant favor, and there’s no record that they observed the Passover or even circumcised their sons,” my commentary said.  Yet God was still leading them onward, blessing them despite themselves, and preparing them for the conquest of the Promised Land.

It’s interesting hearing God’s orders regarding the people of Moab and Ammon – both relatives of the Israelites.  God specifically forbade any actions against them as the Israelites travelled through their land, and even told the Israelites to pay for the food and water they consumed in the process!

“Neither the Moabites nor the Ammonites deserved this kindness, but the Lord sometimes blesses people because of their relationship to other people,” my commentary noted.

When they came to the land of the Amorites, though, the instructions were different.  “I am giving you the power to defeat Sihon the Amorite, and I am giving you his land … the Lord your God had made him stubborn.  The Lord wanted you to defeat Sihon, and now this has happened,” Moses wrote.

All of the Amorites were destroyed.  They had worked against God and His patience had run out.

Father, I pray that You will be clear in showing me those I should avoid, and those You direct me to encounter.  Help me to see them as You see them, and to know the effect they will have on me if I engage them.  I do not want to give sin an opportunity to grow in my life from any relationships which You do not approve.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 1 -- Doubt vs. Unbelief

Moses began retelling the history of the Exodus to those who’d been children, or not even been born, when the events first took place.  It was important that they understand why they hadn’t already been living in the land for 38 years.  Moses pointed to their original request to send spies to reconnoiter the land.  God knew what was there, but they didn’t trust him and had to see it for themselves.  They should have know that “the will of God would not lead them where the grace and power of God could not keep them.”

Moses asked God about the proposed spy mission.  God knew how weak they felt, so He granted their request, “accommodating Himself to their condition,” my commentary said.  “However, doing God’s permissive will isn’t quite the same as obeying  His Good, acceptable, and perfect will.  When God lets us have our own way, it’s a concession on His part that should make us walk in fear and humility … Because there’s always the danger that we’ll become proud and self-confident and start telling God what to do!  Dong God’s express will is the safest course because God never makes a mistake.  Sometimes our desires and God’s concessions combine to produce painful disciplines,” my commentary added.

“There’s a difference between unbelief and doubt.  Unbelief is a matter of the will.  It causes people to rebel against God and say, ‘No matter what the Lord says or does, I will not believe and obey!”  Doubt, however, is a matter of the heart and the emotions; it’s what people experience when they waver between fear and faith.  The doubter says, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’  God seeks to encourage doubters and help them believe, but all He can do with rebels is bring judgment.”

Father, I don’t want to rebel against You and Your will.  And I know at times I will have doubts.  Thanks for showing me the difference.  Please remind me that anytime You accommodate me because of my doubts, I’m settling  for less than Your best.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford